News
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Optimising the Performance of Context-Based Password Cracking Dictionaries
Congratulations to Aikaterini Kanta and co-authors Iwen Coisel, and Mark Scanlon on the publication of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Optimising the Performance of Context-Based Password Cracking Dictionaries in Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation.
Co-authors: Iwen Coisel, and Mark Scanlon.
AI-generated summary of the contribution: This paper introduces a novel methodology for composing and ranking contextual wordlists for password cracking, with the aim of supporting digital forensic investigators in their criminal investigations. The approach leverages the inherent weakness of user-generated passwords, which are often connected to their creators’ personal information. By generating bespoke password candidate lists based on available contextual information, the methodology aims to maximise the chance of early success in password cracking. The proposed approach is evaluated using data leaks from compromised online communities, demonstrating its effectiveness in finding passwords not recovered by traditional methods. The results show that the optimised, ranked dictionary lists offer a significant increase in password recovery rates compared to previous models. The methodology is presented as a valuable tool for investigators, providing readily available, highly-customised contextual dictionaries on any topic, and highlighting the importance of context in password creation.